Ever since my children begin their primary school journey, and coupled with the arrival of our twins, I find the need to organise our family life and documents more pressing than ever.
It was a great decision to rely on Google Apps. The following are how the apps have helped me become more organised and efficient.
Google Drive
Just like any other family with multiple children, a lot is going on at the same time.
We run after the toddlers who are learning new things every day, including pushing the stool to reach for items on the kitchen cabinet, climbing up the ladders, jumping off the bed like their older siblings, falling sick and queuing up to see the doctor.
The older ones go to school, and we receive tons of communication from the teachers. Each child has their schedule to follow, from their timetables, spelling lists and test schedules. #1 will be involved in CCA next year too. There are also monthly newsletters, instructions on home-based learning, digital learning and parent-teacher meetings, etc.
Having two lower primary children who have yet to pick up planning skills mean that I have to keep track of all the schedules for them, and file away all the communication letters from the school. The letters gradually piled up and became clutter. Worried that I would lose grip on their schooling matters, I began documenting all the essential communication letters in Google Drive. It helps.
Documenting the papers
The two most important apps I use in the recording the papers are Tiny Scanner and Google Drive.
Tiny Scanner has been a fantastic free app for me. It makes use of the mobile phone camera function to take snapshots of documents and converts them into pdf files. Picture quality is great, and the advertisement does not bother me. After scanning the document, I send the pdf to my Google Drive account. The entire process is pretty straightforward.
However, a new version of Tiny Scanner is recently released, and many end-users are complaining that they now need to pay for the app. I have not met with any problem yet. If you wish to look for a mobile scanner after reading this post, please do some research on the best scanner to go for. For me, I am happy with Tiny Scanner at this juncture.
Personalising my Google Drive account
I created folders from every single child of mine. Two folders are created for every schooling child. One folder is meant to record their important school documents, and the other folder is for other important matters.
Sharing the folders with my hubby means sharing the load.
I realised the importance of sharing the kids’ folders with my hubby when I was hospitalised for three weeks while pregnant with the twins.
Life goes on at home and in school. The children needed to learn their spelling, and hubby had to take over the job of teaching. By sharing the folders with him, he can quickly step in anytime and anywhere. He did not need to take the trouble to locate papers at all.
Interface with Google Calendar
In case there is a school event to take note of or attend, I like to include the link to the relevant letter in Google Drive in my Google Calendar. This helps me to find information quickly, especially when I am on the go.
Google Calendar
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of keeping a family calendar. Not only we free ourselves from remembering so many dates, the stress of remembering the wrong dates and clearing up the mess that follows, having a family calendar enhances your communication with your spouse. Everyone remains on the same page.
Keeping a few calendars for different purposes
I decided that #1 and #2 should have their calendars because, in a couple of years, they will likely be the ones to maintain the calendars instead of me. Currently, I share their calendars with their daddy to keep him informed of their activities. In time to come, I will also share the calendars with #1 and #2 for them to manage by themselves.
Blocking out the dates for play
Now that I am a full-time mother, I can plan some activities for the children to carry out. These can be home-based activities or excursions.
By blocking out the dates in advance, we make time for the kids to carry out meaningful activities outside of schooling hours, such as cycling in the park, or a badminton session with their daddy.
I record the kids’ activities under the Family Matters calendar, which is shared with hubby. By granting him immediate access to our calendars, he can schedule his upcoming overseas trips more meaningfully and maximise his involvement in the children’s activities where possible.
Google Mail
Access to my children’s MOE email address
This is just an additional tip. In case you are not aware, all children attending primary and secondary schools registered with MOE in Singapore will be given an email address.
I have set up the auto-forwarding function from the kids’ mailbox to ensure that I do not miss any important emails sent to them.
Creating a calendar event from Gmail
Whenever I receive an email confirmation for an event, say a trial lesson, I will directly create a calendar event from Gmail to record the appointment before I forget about it.
You may also be interested in:-
How I keep my sanity with four kids at home – post-confinement
My self-care journey during my babies – first year (part 1) – mental health
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Becoming a Stay-At-Home-Parent
Chiang Mai with Kids – 7D6N Itinerary – November 2019
How do you organise your parenting life? Please share your tips with us in the comment box below.
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